Mobile Game Development

The world of online multiplayer gaming is an ever-changing one. We have developed dozens of mobile games for Asian market since 1998.
That’s why our crew has provided you with these games so you’ll always keep up with the flow.

Hauntingly Fun Halloween Game

Well, whaddaya know?
It’s October and that means Halloween is almost upon us. And to mark this very special occasion, our Dreamville guys have cooked up some lovely stuff for the fun-lovin’ e-Gamer.

First, they’ve organised the Dreamville’s Halloween Party contest where contestants can win some really cool prizes! Contestants are required to upload an interesting image and then write a scary story to accompany the image. Unfortunately, registration would have already been closed by the time you read this, but the results will be out soon and then we’ll find out who the best horror writers are! Their written accounts are sure to be some great readin’.

If you missed out on the contest, you can still celebrate Halloween – Dreamville style. Go check out the cool Halloween items and costume sets that are now available at Dreamville. Furthermore, if you purchase these items between the 15th and the 31st of October, you’ll be getting some nifty discounts! Anyway, just make sure you don’t miss out on the Dreamville Halloween e-Games celebrations or you’ll have to wait till next year!

A Time to Care

Recently someone I knew lost a daughter in a horrible car crash. You may have read about it in the papers. This man, this father, was not only a good man in his own right but he was more. He was a man who believed in “doing what’s right” and he habitually stood for the rights of all of us, the citizens of Malaysia. He put his own good name at risk by being a TRUE citizen by commenting on the malpractices of our leaders as well the undesirable practices of our very own Malaysian people.
Without a doubt someone who is so outspoken will be well disliked. But that did not matter to him in the least. He was more concerned in making the world a better place to live in. I still remember the time when he stood up for me and my team of friends when the management was bent on throwing away a months worth of hard work down the drain because of a minor error which even they themselves failed to notice until it was too late. That was our very first newsletter, the Nine Degree Post. Thank you for that, while the management never allowed it to be circulated you showed us that you really cared, and that meant a lot.

When I read his column in The Sun recently I was moved when he wrote that a total stranger had come up to him and asked him to “be strong.” It just shows how tragedy can bring people together. But unfortunately, yes it is very unfortunate, that very often we busy little human beings tend to forget to socialise in Whatsapp and tend forget to care for one another.

It doesn’t matter where you think of it, whether in real life, among friends or even as unlikely a place as online games, very often we just “do not care.” We are too busy reaping the fruits of LIFE, money becomes PARAMOUNT, possessions become INCREASING IMPORTANT and even your oh-so-valuable in-game items take precedence over your friends and those in need.

I despair everyday when I see new players or newbies as we call them get turned away when they ask for a meagre amount of help. True you have earned what is yours and true you have every right not to give what is yours away. But what happened to kindness? Can you not even give him directions or even a tip? It is painful to watch people beg and beg and beg, not for money, not for possessions but simply for advice and they get turned away. So arrogant are the mighty, so arrogant are those who “have it all.” Please, compassion does not cost you anything.

It is too late to wait for a tragedy to “wake you up.” The long time friend whom you failed to appreciate today may be gone tomorrow. The parents who eagerly wait for any news regarding you well being will not be able to wait forever. Do something, today, NOW. I myself admit I have forgotten birthdays and anniversaries. I recently forgot to wish my parents a “Happy Anniversary” even though they told me a few days in advance that the date was coming. Yes, we are human; we forget; we make mistakes. But it is never too late to start caring a little more. We can do many little things that would mean the world to others. My mother told me that it didn’t matter that I had forgotten to wish her, the world still goes on she had said. I had no reply, if I had not forgotten the world would still go on no doubt, but it for her it would be that much a better place to live in.

This piece goes out to all of us but especially to a teacher and a friend, a man who had it all yet still had time enough to care, Mr. Nades. You thought us more than what was in the textbook.

Pedestal for the Keyboard

Let’s take some time out from your regular O2Jam or Survival Project or whatever gaming sessions you’re having and let’s put a spotlight on our friend, the lowly keyboard. This very much under-appreciated input device gets a pounding almost every day of its life and yet no one waxes lyrical about it.
Like, for example, once in a while you may hear people asking you to check out their “super-hot graphics card” or their “wild custom casing”; but they never ask you to “hey, take a gander at my dependable keyboard”.

The modern computer keyboard has its roots in 1873 when the first commercially successful typewriter hit the market. Early models had the keys arranged alphabetically but that soon changed to the familiar QWERTY layout after the keys kept getting jammed due to typists typing words too fast. The newly rearranged QWERTY layout was successful in slowing the typing speed, it remained the standard ever since.

So it is with some irony that the layout we use now was configured to make typing inefficient whereas everything else in you computer was streamlined to be as efficient as possible. Of course, there were new layouts that were introduced (like the Dvorak layout) but they never really caught on with the public.

And this is where a little catch-22 happens. People won’t switch to new (read: more efficient) layouts because the keyboard companies won’t make keyboards with new layouts. Keyboard companies won’t make keyboards with new layouts because people won’t buy them. It’s all very bizarre.

So we’re stuck with basically the same layout we’ve had since 1873. But, hey – it doesn’t stop you from having some O2Jam goodness right? So I guess that’s okay then.

As the keyboard entered the era of the PC, the technology behind it was improved upon (as expected in the tech industry). Just a little more than a decade ago, the keyboard you’d have been using – no O2Jam then though; but there were spreadsheets – would clack and spring noisily as you pressed and released the buttons. These keyboards had what is called mechanical switches in them that relayed the key presses to the computer. Some still consider them the “best” technology in keyboards because of its responsiveness.

But the cost of the mechanical switches was too much of a burden and they soon gave way to cheaper and quieter solutions. Nowadays, the common ones are dome switch keyboards and capacitance keyboards, which are silent, inexpensive, and resist wear, water, foreign objects and dirt, although a bit mushy when pressed. Mushy keyboards don’t usually give the best tactile feedback, but they sure won’t wake your parents up while you’re having late night O2Jam marathons.

Modern keyboards aren’t just keys however; they even contain a small processor (usually an 8048 variant). The chip processes the incoming keystrokes as well as controls the “caps lock”, “num lock” and “scroll lock” lights.

Whoa. Pretty nifty, huh? Bet you didn’t know that. And all this while you thought the keyboard was just something you used to type in information onto your computer. Oh, wait. It is. But at least you know a little more about it. It’s a device with a history as complex as its inner workings; it would be a pity if we didn’t pay the keyboard the respect it deserves.

Well, till next time then. Remember: Keep wrists up and don’t rest them on your desk or keyboard; or you’ll get carpal tunnel syndrome. Which is bad.